


Magical Night

by Random_Scribbling



Series: Forever [2]
Category: Mystery Skulls (Band), Mystery Skulls Animated
Genre: Crossover, Fix-It of Sorts, Ghosts, If you haven't seen it you should, Magic-Mystery Skulls Animatic, deadbeats - Freeform, ghost - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-14
Updated: 2017-04-14
Packaged: 2018-10-18 23:25:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10627356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Random_Scribbling/pseuds/Random_Scribbling
Summary: In which Lewis, now free of the cave, meets a necromancer and his pet demon. Alternatively, how Lewis buys a house.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hello lovelies! Sorry this took so long, but here it is, the next installment of Lewis trying to find his friends, featuring the beautiful and talented Maestro Leopold the necromancer and his demon, Luca, both created by the amazing pandastic on tumblr. Please go check out her work, as it, much like everything else in this story, is not mine.
> 
> Also, if a guide to the supernatural in this universe is something you want, please let me know in the comments. Until next time!

The night is cool and clear, the full moon lighting up the sky. It’s perfect weather for flying. Lewis closes his eyes in pleasure as he soars over yet another town. Nearly two months ago he was stuck in a cave, fighting back a terrible evil, but now his job is done and he’s free to search for the friends he lost. This is the eighth city he’s checked, following rumors of ghost hunters and hauntings. Lewis sighs, staring up at the distant moon. So far this town, too, has been a bust, the only sign of the paranormal being rumors of a haunted mansion that appears on the edge of town. Still, it can’t hurt to check it out before moving on. Flipping back onto his stomach to observe the lights below, Lewis frowns when flashes of light on the horizon catch his eyes. The light is nearly the same pink as his own magic, if perhaps a shade lighter, and is coming in bursts from the direction that the mansion is supposed to appear. Frowning, Lewis increases his speed, intent on discovering the source.

XXX

Leopold releases a sigh of relief, stretching as he emerges from the depths of the tomb. Now that his research on the owners of the house is done, and he has their permission to use the lingering spirits of the cemetery to perform the cleansing ritual, he can go about waking some reinforcements and deal with the spirit turning this peaceful resting place into a nightmare. Smiling, the maestro hums cheerfully as he pulls out his wand and starts casting his spells, greeting Luca with a nod when the demon deigns to show his face.

“Have fun trying to convince people that life isn’t worth living?” Leopold asks teasingly over his shoulder as he moves down some stairs, childishly jumping the final two steps to land with a loud thump on the stone below. Luca rolls his eyes.

“As much as possible,” he grumbles, watching apathetically as the spirits begin to wake up. The spirits, old and unmotivated, are all pink with the magic Leopold has given them, and the energy ensures that they are all equipped with some kind of instrument. Of course encountering the phantoms of actual musicians is a treat, and the maestro grins in delight when he finds three graves marked with beautiful stone depictions of violins. Rolling up his sleeves, the pink-haired man unleashes a particularly powerful wave of magic, giving the three spirits enough energy to spring forth already tuning their violins, as eager to perform in death as they were in life. With a gleeful laugh and another wave of his wand the necromancer continues energizing spirits as he walks through the cemetery.

“Did you find us a place to perform the cleansing?” Leopold asks the demon, observing the shorter being over his sunglasses. Luca scowls.

“Yes,” he grumbles. “The front lawn should suffice.”

The information makes the maestro smile.

“Perfect! You’re indispensable, my friend,” he thanks before directing the wand at his own throat.

“Attention, attention,” he calls, voice amplified. “Will all spirits please gather in front of the mansion for instructions, thank you!”

Leopold returns his voice to normal with a small cough before turning, smart black shoes tapping the stones paving the ground as he nearly skips toward the meeting place, Luca trailing behind him.

XXX

Lewis lands just outside the front gates, officially curious. Calling up his human disguise he phases through the iron bars and weaves his way through the masses of phantoms assembling on the lawn. It’s fairly easy; most of the spirits are floating well above head height. The skeleton ghost is fascinated. Most of the spirits have poor definition, their faces blurred with age and legs fading into wispy tails that flicker in and out of existence. After watching the odd phantoms for a few moments Lewis spots two men that stand out.

One would only come up to his shoulder, bright red hair with two locks twisted into horns over an unimpressed face adorned with black spectacles. The rest of his form is covered in black pants and a red shirt with a black tie, all underneath a long white coat. He’s staring idly up at the spirits, only looking over to glare at his companion when the taller man nudges him with an elbow.

The other being is an inch or so taller than Lewis with long pink hair tied mostly back into a ponytail, the rest styled into an elaborate curl that adds some inches to his height. A long scar, stretching from the center of his forehead over his left eye and to his ear, is also covered by dark glasses, though this ghost is dressed in a more old fashioned style. Buckled black shoes over long white socks with magenta and black breeches, a white shirt mostly hidden under a black and magenta waistcoat all underneath a long black coat, his hands protected by black fingerless gloves. A slim white stick dangles from the fingers of one hand, but his grip tightens when a careless glance puts Lewis in his sights. For all that the man is taller than Lewis he’s thinner, built on narrower lines. Despite this Lewis is sure from the way he handles the slim wand that this is not one he wants as an enemy. The stranger’s expression changes from cheerful to unsure, so Lewis raises his hands in a calming gesture.

“Hello,” he greets them, walking closer, making sure to keep his movements slow and predictable. “I saw the lights and was curious,” he smiles disarmingly. The two beings exchange glances before Leopold turns his attention to Lewis. He steps forward, smiling happily.

“Oh, just an impromptu concert,” he explains, arms spread wide in welcome. “Some amazing special effects, no?”

Lewis wonders if the man thinks he’s stupid but smirks and plays along. He doesn’t seem hostile, so he may as well see how long the stranger intends to drag this out. He smiles brightly. “Yes; how did you make it seem like they’re actually flying? Are they projections?” Lewis asks, voice innocently curious. The other man nods, eager to agree so long as Lewis stops asking questions. Taking his time, Lewis examines the other more thoroughly. His eyes finally land on the heart-shaped broach at the stranger’s throat, holding the dark pink in place. The stylized skull, almost Aztec in design, seems to be grinning eerily at him as its eyes shine a mystic pink. Ah, so he was a necromancer then. But that doesn’t explain his partner… Lewis wanders closer. “So what’s your name?” He asks, still polite.

“Leopold,” the other introduces himself. “And my friend over there is Luca.”

“Lewis,” the disguised ghost returns. “Do you mind terribly if I stay to watch? I’ve never seen such advanced holograms before.” He knows full well that with his innocent face and puppy dog eyes that Leopold would feel like garbage if he refused, and he is satisfied when the slightly taller man sighs and motions him over to stand by Luca.

“Just stay there,” he instructs. “I don’t want you blocking the light.” With that he turns to the assembled spirits and begins shouting instructions. Lewis watches carefully for anything that indicates the other might be about to become hostile before moving to stand beside the shorter man.

“So what is a necromancer really doing with several dozen ghosts,” he asks quietly. If he was expecting Luca to jump at his knowledge he’s disappointed when the shorter man merely smirks and eyes him over his dark spectacles.

“A cleansing ritual, fully approved of by the house’s former occupants,” the demon replies even as he accesses his magic to examine the man at his left.

**LEWIS – LV 1, ATK 40, DEF 50, HP ∞. Tall, mischievous, and smarter than he first appears.**

The demon fights the urge to blink at the information. The HP is unsurprising, as most ghosts are extremely hard to kill, but such a high level of Attack and Defense are unusual. This Lewis is the strongest being he’s come across in quite a while. The demon finds himself curious almost despite himself and asks, “And what of your own intentions?” Lewis shrugs.

“I was honestly curious,” he responds. “And the magic was interesting for…personal reasons.” Glancing down at the demon Lewis allows his eyes to fade to dark pits with the magenta pupils as he winks at Luca. The demon smirks in amusement.

“I can see why,” he answers dryly.

Lewis, having felt the same tingle as when Sans had checked him those months ago, finally says, “So what exactly are you, if you don’t mind me asking?”

He’s already noticed the slightly pointed ears and sharp teeth; those features along with the gleaming red eyes already told him that Luca wasn’t human, but that didn’t tell Lewis anything else. Luca merely smirks in response. Leopold clearing his throat prevents any further questioning as Lewis politely turns his attention to the maestro and his assembled spirit symphony. The necromancer, having forgotten his audience, casually summons a music stand from the ground and taps his wand on his like a baton. The spirits in place, the maestro raises his arms and drops them sharply cueing the music to…

Begin.

Lewis listens in awe to the complex blend of sound, eyes darting around to watch avidly as each spirit attends to their instrument. Luca, having seen just such a performance dozens of times, ignores the music in favor of watching Lewis, gauging his reaction to the ritual hidden within the notes. Ghosts have varying responses to such pure magic: some cringe away, unable to stand the cleansing effects, and some are absorbed by the tune, losing the last of their energy and joining the phantom orchestra to fade away when the music stops. Lewis seems to be one of the rare ones. He is neither repulsed nor absorbed by the ritual, withstanding the cleansing magic with an ease that speaks of a heart as pure as the magic used yet showing the strength of will not to be completely sucked in by the sound of the symphony reaching its peak. Luca muses thoughtfully on this new information. A strong ghost, and as pure-hearted as young Leopold. Interesting. The pair continue in this manner, Lewis enjoying the music and Luca observing Lewis, until the ground begins to shake. Lewis blinks at the first quiver, reverie broken, and he looks in confusion at the earth beneath his feet.

“What…” He trails off as the ground trembles again, violently enough that even Leopold, focused on conducting the ritual, notices. Without any further warning the front yard is suddenly split, huge cracks forming as an enormous creature emerges from underground with a loud roar. Lewis reacts instinctively, scooping Luca up in one arm as he dodges to the side, narrowly avoiding being crushed by a falling boulder. Luca will forever maintain that he did not squawk when he was suddenly hauled through the air by an arm nearly as big as himself. He does, however, immediately scramble to get down and glare harshly at Lewis.

“I would have been perfectly fine,” he hisses, straightening his clothing, but Lewis takes no notice, focused now on how Leopold is running around like a chicken with his head cut off to avoid being crushed. Seeing that the maestro won’t be able to avoid them all, Lewis flies forward, shedding his human disguise as he goes, and tackles Leopold out of the way of a particularly large rock.

“You’ve got some explaining to do,” the maestro remarks when they’re out of danger, eyes still following the creature as it roars and swipes huge claws at the spirit symphony.

“As do you,” Lewis responds, also watching the beast. The dragon, for it can be nothing else, roars again and uses its three yellow eyes to fire a blast of poisonous magic at the fleeing spirits.

“Let me take care of this,” the necromancer orders, standing straight and gripping his wand tightly. Lewis rolls his eyes.

“No,” he answers simply, prompting a surprised look. Leopold quickly recovers, frowning at the skeleton ghost. His voice seems to take on an echoed quality and his wand glints as he says again, “Stay here.”

And again Lewis replies, “No,” shaking off the magical command with ease. Leopold fights back the urge to both strangle and question this interesting ghost as he sighs, feeling put upon.

“Fine, we’ll distract it and lead it into the mansion while Luca reassembles the spirits. I can power them up, then we’ll cleanse this dragon so it can’t do any more damage,” the necromancer quickly outlines before running forward, half hoping the ghost won’t follow him when he hears the crazy scheme. Unfortunately for him Lewis is right on his tail, blasting the dragon with a ball of pink fire to gain its attention. Leopold makes note of that, the color being another question he will have to ask the ghost, and dashes for the mansion even as the dragon follows them inside with a bellow of rage. Dodging swipes of the claws and ducking blasts of yellow flame, Leopold drags his wand across the walls, muttering a destruction spell as he goes. Lewis is helpful, holding the dragon off with his fire enough to slow it down. They can’t hold out forever, though, and one lucky swipe of an enormous paw has both men tumbling down the stairs. Leopold recovers first, popping up like the child Luca accuses him of being and quickly binding the doors shut behind them. Lewis gets to his feet more slowly as the necromancer proceeds to glance around the room, looking for something.

“Ah-hah!” The pink-haired man exclaims suddenly, running over to a mostly-destroyed painting.

“What are you doing?” Lewis questions as the necromancer waves his wand at the artwork.

“The dragon is a restless spirit, one from the manor,” Leopold explains quickly as the dragon starts to bang at the door. “These three were the owners, if anyone can calm it…”

The rest of the answer is lost as the binding finally breaks and the dragon enters in a chaotic blur of darkness and bright yellow flame. Lewis blasts it with fireballs that bounce off of its scaly hide and it ignores him, intent on the annoying pink sorcerer who dared intrude on its territory. The dragon launches itself at Leopold, taking out the wall to the right of the painting and knocking the necromancer headlong.

Leopold grimaces as he tries to get up, getting only a glimpse of his glasses and wand, both broken, on the floor before the dragon has his head in a grip like a vise. Shouting in pain he clutches weakly at the paw, struggling to relieve the pressure. For a moment he could swear that the dragon laughs at him as it prepares to end his existence, energy building up in its mouth, but then it is distracted by the forms emerging from the forgotten portrait. An older man and woman, husband and wife, come forward, arms with open and faces smiling gently. Grinning, Leopold stops struggling, merely waving mockingly at the dragon when it looks back at him. The broach at his throat opens, the eyes and mouth blasting the beast with a pink ray of energy far stronger than anything else Leopold had released, forcing the dragon to relinquish its hold. The necromancer lands in a crouch. A second later he’s back on his feet, arms sweeping and hands trailing magic as he summons the entire orchestra to the room. All of them, united, blast the dragon with magic. Lewis adds his flames to the mix further weakening the monster until there is an enormous explosion. Blinking away the brief blindness caused by the light, Leopold looks at his foe and smiles in relief. Lewis is more cautious, keeping his hands lit, but slipping out of his defensive stance on the opposite side of the battlefield than Leopold when he sees what has replaced their enemy.

Curled in a ball of blue spirit where the dragon once stood is a weeping girl. She’s no more than a teenager, her slim shoulders shaking as she sobs and peeks fearfully around her hands. The necromancer merely offers her another gentle smile, gesturing the husband and wife spirits forward. They go eagerly, sweeping the girl into their arms. As the trio cry with happiness at the reunion, Lewis makes his way over to Leopold, giving him a questioning look.

“Her parents,” the necromancer explains quietly, revealed pink eyes not leaving the tiny knot of spirits as the blue fades from the girl, her aura turning the same shade of bright pink as her parents. Suddenly the small family of ghosts look up, staring in awe at something the rest of them cannot see. The father looks to Leopold for guidance. The necromancer grins, directing them upward with his chin.

“Go on,” he encourages. “You all deserve a good, long rest.”

Grateful tears shining in their eyes the trio ascend, soaring high into the sky before vanishing in a flash of white light. The two men stare up at the point for a moment, awed, before Leopold releases a sigh of relief.

“Glad that’s over,” he grimaces, pressing a hand to his side. Luca pops over, the broken spectacles in one hand, and Leopold accepts them happily. Finally looking around, the necromancer grimaces at the destruction they’ve caused the mansion during their battle.

“This is going to take a lot of work,” he grumbles, wincing as his side gives another twinge. Undead he may be, but that doesn’t mean invulnerable; getting tossed around like a ragdoll hurts!

“I could help, if you like,” Lewis offers, hand going to the locket on his chest. Leopold arches his scarred eyebrow at him in question.

“Watch this,” the skeleton instructs, tapping two fingers to the locket and closing his eyes. In the time he’s been travelling, the skeleton had noticed several ghosts following after him from town to town, old, faceless spirits who had long ago forgotten their purpose for staying on the living plane. Though he had been afraid at first, Lewis had discovered that he had limited control over them, and could summon them through the locket. The ghosts, from absorbing the energy Lewis constantly produced, had slowly changed forms, fading into pink creatures with spikes on their heads and gold, heart-shaped marks on their chests. Lewis taps his locket, closing his eyes, and sends out the call. On his part Leopold watches in shock as the ghost displays an unusual amount of power, sending out a wave of energy to the surrounding area. Curious, the necromancer nearly gapes when six pink spirits, not unlike the phantoms that he summoned from graves, appear in front of the skeleton. Lewis is oblivious to his reactions.

“You three start clearing away rubble, and you begin picking through to see what can be salvaged,” he orders the spirits. They all nod cheerfully, glad to have a purpose, before setting out on their assigned missions. Lewis turns then and finally sees the surprised expressions on Leopold and Luca’s faces. He rubs the back of his skull sheepishly.

“What are they?” The maestro asks, tilting his head and watching the six strange spirits work on the partially-destroyed mansion.

“I’ve just been calling them deadbeats,” Lewis shrugs. “I think they’re old spirits who forgot why they stayed. They needed a purpose, so they’ve been following me around for a while now.”

Leopold nods to show his understanding before his legs suddenly decide that this would be a good place to sit. He starts to collapse only for Lewis to catch him halfway to the ground, supporting him with one arm looping under his arms.

“Easy now,” Lewis soothes, guiding the exhausted necromancer over to a relatively unscathed patch of lawn. “Just rest, I’ll take care of things here.”

Leopold is too tired to do anything but nod as Lewis slowly lays him down on the grass, years of overgrowth leaving it long and soft. Blinking tiredly, the necromancer doesn’t even have time to yawn before darkness claims him.

XXX

Leopold groans as a hand gently shakes his shoulder. Rolling away from the offending limb, he mutters sleepily, the words emerging in his native Austrian.

_“Five more minutes, Father,”_ he grumbles, trying to get more comfortable on…his…bed? Frowning, the maestro sits up and opens his eyes, fumbling at his glasses when they fall off his face. He slowly becomes conscious of chuckling nearby and glares sleepily at Luca’s amused face.

“What’s happening?” Leopold questions, still somewhat groggy from his unintended nap.

“You need to see this for yourself,” the demon smirks, looking over at the mansion pointedly. Glancing over, Leopold lets his jaw drop in shock. Almost all of the damage has been repaired, spirits dashing around industriously to fix the last decorative fixtures on the front façade of the manor house. The only major oddity about the house is that the entire structure is tinted purple. But beyond even that is Lewis. The skeleton ghost is hovering in front of the mansion humming a pop song, skull bouncing with the beat, his arms outstretched as he directs the spirits with flicks of his fingers. He’s giving off so much energy that it’s visible in a corona around him, as bright as a bonfire. Spirits merely passing by attract wisps of the energy, zipping away with renewed enthusiasm as they go about their tasks. There are also more of the strange deadbeats floating around, at least a dozen of the little spirits serving as some kind of lieutenants for Lewis as they help point the dimmer forms of Leopold’s summons towards jobs that need doing.

“How long has he been doing this?” Leopold questions, barely daring to speak lest he break the insane amount of focus this must be taking Lewis.

“Since you went to sleep, so nearly three hours. He just started the floating thing about two hours ago,” Luca responds, arms folded as he observes. Leopold turns to him with a blank look.

“You’re joking,” he deadpans. The amount of power it would take for a ghost to control that many low-level spirits for that amount of time was unusually large. How old is this spirit? Still slightly in shock, but feeling much better for his nap, Leopold stands and stretches before walking over to Lewis with Luca following behind. The skeleton ghost, noticing that he’s awake, opens his eyes and floats slowly down to the ground until he stands beside Leopold. A deadbeat hovers up and Lewis turns to him.

“Finish up here and then start on the inside,” he orders. The pink spirit nods firmly before it turns and darts away, voice rising as it takes up the song that Lewis has abandoned.

“More of them showed up,” Lewis reports happily, unaware that the necromancer is seriously revaluating his power levels. “I’m up to almost a dozen deadbeats, and the mansion is almost totally fixed. The only thing left to do is the inside, but I figure there’ll be time for that as long as the outside is okay.”

Leopold nods agreeably.

“I’m shocked at the amount you’ve managed to get done,” he compliments the slightly taller man with a smile. “I never could have managed it in one night, let alone a few hours.” Lewis’ flames brighten in happiness. “Aren’t you tired?” Leopold questions, trying to act casual. “Controlling this many ghosts must take a lot of energy.” Lewis chuckles.

“Oh I’m not controlling them; I just asked them for help and they chose to help,” he answers. “If I had to control them all the time I’d be exhausted in no time.”

“How long have you been dead, then?” Leopold asks, more relaxed now that he knows he’s not dealing with some kind of over-powered super ghost.

“A little over a year,” Lewis replies with a shrug. Leopold’s eyes widen and even Luca cocks an eyebrow in surprise. Lewis, misinterpreting their expressions, grimaces.

“I know; I met some monsters a while ago who helped me with my powers, but otherwise I’ve been too busy looking to worry about getting stronger,” he tries to explain.

“Looking for what?” The necromancer questions.

“My friends,” Lewis answers. “As you can probably guess I was murdered, in a cave not far from here. I used to travel with my friend Arthur, girlfriend Vivi, and her dog, Mystery. Then my best friend pushed me off of a cliff.” Leopold is surprised at how casually the ghost can talk about his death.

“It wasn’t his fault,” Lewis is quick to elaborate. “He was possessed at the time. I didn’t know that, of course, until I met some monsters who helped me defeat the thing that possessed him and killed me.”

“Shouldn’t you have moved on, then,” Luca asks, sounding curious despite himself. “Revenge taken and all that?”

“I didn’t stay for revenge,” Lewis corrects him. “I stayed to protect my girlfriend, Vivi. I just got held up stopping the evil in the cave for a while. But now I’m free to search for them!”

“How do you plan on finding two humans out of millions?” Luca scoffs. Lewis just grins.

“Finding them shouldn’t be too hard,” he answers dryly. “They’re hunting for me, after all.” Now both of the other men look confused. And finally Lewis reveals the most interesting thing about his strange trio.

“You see, when I was human, my friends and I were ghost hunters,” he reveals. Their eyes widen and there’s a split second of silence before they react. With a snort Leopold cracks up laughing, nearly doubling over he’s giggling so hard, and Luca smacks himself in the forehead loudly enough that a few of the closer deadbeats look over in concern.

“You’re joking,” Leopold eventually accuses.

“Nope,” Lewis replies with an invisible grin. “We were ghost hunters, Arthur got possessed, and now I’m a ghost. All I have to do to find them is follow the trail of weird.” Leopold smiles as a thought occurs to him that neatly solves both their problems. The mansion itself, repaired with so much spiritual energy, is the perfect place to anchor a powerful spirit, something that will draw some of the more evil spirits like a moth to a flame if it is left unclaimed, which will be troublesome for him to deal with, and Lewis will need a place to stay while searching for his friends.

“Lewis, I’ve got a proposition for you,” he offers with a smile, prompting an interested look from the two other men. “Why don’t you stay here for a while; you could look after the house, get stronger, and eventually your friends will come to investigate the haunted mansion!”

Luca is giving Leopold an odd look. In most situations like this the maestro would simply destroy the house, ensuring that so spirit could occupy the house and take advantage of such an easy power source.

Spirits, of course, gain their power in three ways, the first being if they have a strong purpose such as revenge or protection. The second would be to absorb other souls and take their power, a practice normally only used by those spirits with dark intentions. And finally, ghosts would grow in strength by having a physical anchor, like a home base. This allows them to stay in one place and draw from the emotional energy of an area.

Leopold generally destroys any suitable bases he finds in his journey in order to keep evil spirits from gaining power easily; his willingness to hand over such a valuable property as this shows an unusual amount of trust in the skeleton ghost. For his part, Lewis appears to be seriously considering his offer. All of his searching so far has turned up no clues as to his friends’ location; it would be easier to stay in one place and wait for them to come for him.

“That sounds good to me,” he finally agrees with a shrug. Leopold grins and holds out a hand to shake. Lewis grasps the gloved, undead hand in his own made of shadow and bone, sealing the deal.

“Good luck with your new mansion, Sir Lewis,” Leopold teases gently. Lewis blinks, taken aback by the sudden title.

“Wait, what?”

XXX

Lewis shakes his head in exasperation as he watches Leopold stride down the road away from the mansion only to disappear in a flash of bubblegum pink magic. Luca had left earlier, form dissolving into a puddle of dark-red goo and oozing away, leaving the necromancer and ghost to discuss exactly what responsibilities Lewis now had as lord of the ghostly mansion.

As the main ghost of the land he would have to ensure that all of the spirits in his care were well cared for and did not harm the local human population. He is, however, permitted to throw as many parties as he wants to attract attention so long as he doesn’t harm any ghost hunters who come after him. The two young men had chatted for most of the night, discussing their lives and their hopes. When Leopold finally looked at the rising sun with a wry smile Lewis was content, looking at the restored mansion around him and already planning how to best remodel the place for the Mystery Skulls when they reunite. As the last wisps of Leopold’s spell disappear with the rest of the mist and the first rays of sunlight appear Lewis turns and faces the interior of the mansion, sliding the card marked with the same skull on Leopold’s talisman that the necromancer had given Lewis to contact with him with into his pocket. Twelve deadbeats float in front of him in two rows, six lining each side of the restored hallway.

“Well,” he grins, the expression not visible on his skull. “Let’s get to work!”


End file.
